MicroRNA (miRNA), a small non-coding RNA that functions as a mediator in gene silencing, plays important roles in gene regulation in various vital functions and activities. Here we show that the miR-29 members are upregulated in klotho-deficient [klotho(-/-)] mice, a senescence-model animal, and also in normal elderly ICR mice relative to wild-type littermates and young ICR mice. In addition, l...

The paternal-allele-specific methylation of the Igf2/H19 imprinting control region (ICR) is established during gametogenesis and maintained throughout development. To elucidate the requirement of the germline passage in the maintenance of the imprinting methylation, we established a system introducing a methylated or unmethylated ICR-containing DNA fragment (ICR-F) into the paternal or maternal...

Background and Purpose—Gene transfer to cerebral blood vessels has been accomplished in rats and dogs by injection of replication-deficient adenovirus into cerebrospinal fluid. In this study we examined transgene expression after injection of adenovirus into the cerebrospinal fluid of mice. Responses were observed in ICR mice and C57BL/6 mice, which are outbred and inbred strains, respectively....

Radiation therapy for head and neck cancers often causes xerostomia (dry mouth) by acutely damaging the salivary glands through the induction of severe acute inflammation. By contrast, the mechanism underlying the X-ray-induced delayed salivary dysfunction is unknown and has attracted increasing attention. To identify and develop a mouse model that distinguishes the delayed from the acute effec...

This study extends our earlier studies in rats by applying our heatstroke model to a new species. Additionally, transgenic mice are used to examine the role of heat shock protein (HSP) 72 in experimental heatstroke. Transgenic mice that were heterozygous for a porcine HSP70i gene ([+]HSP72), transgene-negative littermate controls ([-]HSP72), and normal Institute of Cancer Research strain mice (...

The aim of this article is to study the changes inhibited T lymphocytes and cytokines related to the cellular immunity in ICR (imprinting control region) mice fed with Fe(3)O(4) magnetic nanoparticles (Fe(3)O(4)-MNPs). The Fe(3)O(4)-MNPs were synthesized, and their characteristics such as particle size, zeta potential, and X-ray diffraction patterns were measured and determined. All ICR mice we...

BACKGROUND Transplantation with allogeneic cells has become a promising modality for cancer therapy, which can induce graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect. This study was aimed at assessing the safety, efficacy, and tissue type GVT (tGVT) response of transplantation with allogeneic skin tumors to treat chemically-induced skin tumors in mice. MATERIAL AND METHODS FVB/N and ICR mice were exposed topic...

Parental exposure to radiation could induce various kinds of tumors in the next generation. In ICR mice, a large and significant increase of adult types tumor was observed in the F1 offspring after X-ray exposure at spermatozoa and spermatid stages, and less clear increase was observed after spermatogonial exposure. Mature oocytes were resistant upto 1 Gy, but very sensitive to tumor induction ...

The cytoplasmic peptide:N-glycanase (Ngly1 in mammals) is a de-N-glycosylating enzyme that is highly conserved among eukaryotes. It was recently reported that subjects harboring mutations in the NGLY1 gene exhibited severe systemic symptoms (NGLY1-deficiency). While the enzyme obviously has a critical role in mammals, its precise function remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed Ngly1-defici...

The possibility of pathological calcium metabolism is a critical health concern introduced by long-term space travel. Because vitamin D plays an important role in calcium homeostasis, we evaluated the effects of hypergravity on the expression of genes involved in vitamin D and calcium metabolism in ICR mice. When exposed to 2G hypergravity for 2 days, the mRNA expression of renal 25-hydroxyvita...